Magic and Miscommunication
by LuckyDuck29
Summary: Morgana's beliefs surrounding both Friday the thirteenth and Halloween get in the way of her relationship with Drake. Will they break up for good? Please see my profile for the link to the ld29info forum for the author's notes.
1. Conflicting Beliefs

Drake and Morgana smiled at each other as they reached the door of McCawber Manor. Morgana had never been to a carnival before, at least not a normal carnival. Drake had fun watching her as they rode the roller coasters, ate cotton candy and played the games. He had won her a teddy bear by hitting a bell with a hammer. The best part for Morgana was that there were no crimes committed that they knew of, so he wasn't distracted. For once, she had his undivided attention.

"Morg," Drake said, as if struck by a sudden thought, "you said you'd never been to a normal carnival before tonight. What are your carnivals like?"

Morgana smiled. She loved their carnivals, but she wasn't sure Drake would at first. She thought once he got used to them they would grow on him, though, and she knew Gosalyn would love them. "Launchpad wouldn't like them at all," she thought sadly. "I'm not even sure he likes me. I wish he did; I would like to be his friend. After all, I'm in love with Dark and Launchpad is his best friend. Besides, I'm fond of him."

"Well, the biggest carnival we have is on Halloween. All the ghosts, ghouls, witches and sorcerers come."

Drake fought down the urge to ask if normals were turned into anything freaky. That was exactly how he would have worded it. He liked Morgana; he thought he was actually in love with her, but some things about her were just weird. It wasn't her fault; it was just the way she was brought up. He was glad she didn't seem to notice the look on his face. Morg had a nasty temper.

By the time she finished telling him about all the activities at a magical carnival, Drake was sure he wouldn't want to go to one. He'd had enough experience with magic, and particularly with Morgana's father, to want to stay as far away from a gathering like that as possible. He hoped she wouldn't invite him. Maybe the thought of her father's reaction would prevent her from asking him to come.

Maybe if she did invite him he could say Halloween was one of the busiest nights of the year for him. That wouldn't exactly be a lie; with Gosalyn trick-or-treating, regular crimes of mischief and Quackerjack apt to turn up at some point, Halloween was never boring. He pushed away the thought that Gos would enjoy a completely haunted carnival even more than she would a whole bunch of candy.

Morgana's clock struck midnight. Morgana looked at it briefly, then her face paled.

"Oh, no!" she said, alarmed. "Dark, you have to leave now, quickly! Don't you realize what today is?"

"It's the thirteenth," he said, puzzled.

"Exactly! It's Friday the thirteenth!"

"So?"

"It's a day of nothing but bad luck!"

"What?" He couldn't keep the characteristic squeak of disbelief out of his voice.

"Surely you know Friday the thirteenth is a day of bad luck. Nothing good ever happens on this day!"

"Morg, that's just a stupid superstition! Only an idiot would believe in-" he broke off, too late. He had lost the argument at the word "stupid" and he knew it, even before he saw the anger fill her face.

"Stupid, huh? Idiot, huh? Well, at least I'm not a closed minded, egotistical pudding!"

She was so angry she couldn't think of anything better to turn him into. Gosalyn had actually given her the idea once; the idea of someone being turned into pudding had fascinated the little girl.

There was one problem. Her anger clouded her thinking and she barbecued his feathers instead of turning him into a pudding. She pretended that was what she meant to do and fought the urge to apologize. After all, Dark had brought this on himself. She never made fun of his normal beliefs, so why did he always have to make fun of her magical ones? It wasn't fair.

Drake was angry now, too. How could he have a conversation with someone who caused him physical pain every time he said something she didn't like? OK, so maybe he could have been a little more diplomatic. Maybe he should be more tolerant of her magical beliefs, but it wasn't fair of her to win an argument with magic. A verbal argument he had a chance of winning, but he had no defense against her magic.

"Well," Morgana continued, "if I'm a stupid idiot, then maybe you shouldn't be going out with me!"

"I never said you were-"

"You're exact words were stupid and idiot!"

"But all I meant was-"

"I know what you meant! Only an idiot would believe in a stupid superstition! You won't even listen to the facts!"

"What facts?" Drake's tone was sarcastic, as if he didn't believe there were any facts surrounding Friday the thirteenth.

"Nothing good ever happens- on"

"You said that already, at least twice!"

"Will you let me finish! Relationships break up on Friday the thirteenth. People disappear, or die, or have a chain reaction of events that happen to wreck their lives, or at the very least their entire day."

"Morgana, that's no different from any other day!"

"Evil magic is stronger than ever on Friday the thirteenth. Thirteen is a very powerful evil number, and Friday the thirteenth is the most evil day of the year!"

"What about Halloween? Evil is strong then, too. Ghosts, ghouls, witches, you said so yourself!"

"I never said they were evil! Yes, there are evil creatures of every sort, including normals, as you yourself know all too well!"

"Yeah," Drake said before he could stop himself. "I fought you, didn't I?"

He knew it didn't make any sense and he knew Morg wasn't evil anymore, but he was so angry he spoke without thinking. He ignored the fact that he often spoke without thinking, even when he wasn't angry.

Morgana looked as if he'd slapped her. Drake immediately regretted putting that look on her face.

"That's what this is all about, isn't it?" she asked quietly. The hurt in her voice made Drake want to hug her and make it all better. "You think I'm still evil. You don't think I've changed at all, do you?"

"No, Morgana, I-" Drake began. He really hadn't meant to hurt her and he really did know she'd changed. He wished he had better control over his tongue.

"Well, if my being a Justice Duck, helping you defeat the Fearsome Five and helping you beat Nodoff hasn't convinced you, I don't know what will! I deserve better than someone who's going to use my past against me when we have an argument! I don't need a boyfriend who throws my past up in my face!"

Drake was angry again. He didn't need a girlfriend who barbecued him or turned him into something awful either.

"I wouldn't have had to beat Nodoff if you hadn't gotten him to supply you with the sleep sand that made it possible for you to rob people while they were sleep walking either!"

"Shut up and get out!"

"Well, if that's the way you want it, fine! Maybe I can find a nice normal girl!"

Drake regretted saying that, too, but he was furious and didn't stop to apologize. The last thing he saw before he slammed the door was Morgana's eyes filling with tears.


	2. Tension

"What happened, DW?"

Launchpad had been watching TV when Drake stormed in, mumbling something about superstitions and stubborn women. His white feathers looked singed.

"Morgana barbecued me again. What else is new? Well, this is the last time! I've had it! I'm going to find someone I can actually talk to without being fried every time I say something the least bit contrary to her crazy opinions!"

Drake was in a fowl mood all day. Launchpad and Gosalyn stayed out of his way as much as possible. Unfortunately for Gos, her Math teacher called Drake and said she was in danger of failing. He grounded Gos for as long as it took to get her Math grade up. Gosalyn stormed off to her room to do her homework, giving her father a look that rivaled Morgana at her angriest.

"What?" Drake asked when he saw Launchpad looking at him. "You think I'm wrong?"

"It doesn't matter what I think," Launchpad said, trying to be diplomatic. He did think DW was wrong. Yes, Gosalyn needed to get her Math grade up, but Drake didn't have to treat her like she'd just hit a hockey puck through the window and lied about it. She needed help; he should be trying to find out her weaknesses in Math and then help her strengthen them, not punishing her. "You're the dad. It's about time for me to give the Thunderquack a tune-up. Do you want me to give the Ratcatcher one, too?"

"Yeah, OK," Drake said distractedly.

Launchpad really was going to give the vehicles a tune-up, but his main reason for going up to the tower was to avoid Drake. He was angrier than Launchpad had ever seen him and he thought it was totally out of proportion to the argument he'd had with Morgana. He didn't want to unintentionally say or do something that would make Drake even angrier.

There were two sides to every story. Launchpad wondered what Morgana's take would be on what happened the night before. It sounded to him as if they'd both over reacted big time to a fairly small situation.

He was almost finished with the Ratcatcher when Drake called to him from one of the spinning chairs and told him he was going to the grocery store. He said they needed potatoes for dinner. Launchpad finished with the Ratcatcher, then went down to the house, wanting to talk to Gosalyn before Drake got back.

Gosalyn's bedroom door was closed. She didn't respond to his first knock, so on the second knock he said, "it's me, Gos."

"Oh, OK," her muffled voice came back. She sounded both sad and angry. "You can come in." Her tone on the word "you" said he wouldn't be able to come in if he was Drake.

He opened the door and looked around the room. He knew she kept booby traps around in case any zombies or super villains showed up and didn't want to get caught by one of them.

'Don't worry; they're gone," she said grumpily. "Dad made me get rid of them this morning."

He came in and sat on the edge of her bed. Her books were all closed and he wondered if she'd actually done any of her homework, but didn't ask. He'd leave that to "Drake.

"Did he tell you why he's in such a bad mood?" he asked.

"He had a fight with Morgana. What else is new?" she asked, in the same tone Drake had used when he'd asked that question before. "Why is this one different? He never took his fights with her out on us before."

"I don't know what's different about this one. The only thing I can think of is that this time they broke up. He hasn't actually said so, but I think he loves her."

"Well, he's got a pretty weird way of showing it. I mean, I don't blame Morgana for getting mad at him. Dad never thinks before he talks."

"No, a lot of the time he doesn't, but we've both known that for a long time and I think Morgana does, too. The problem is they both have such short tempers."

"Tell me about it! One lousy Math grade and Dad goes critical!"

Launchpad ignored that comment, not wanting to point out that it was more than one lousy Math grade if she was on the verge of failing.

"I mean, do you really think it's fair for him to ground me? It's not like I brought a mutant slug home to keep as a pet or something!"

He smiled, feeling a mixture of sympathy and amusement. If given the chance, Gosalyn would do something like that. But he did think the punishment was unfair.

"Besides, I'm doing OK in all my other subjects."

"Well, I really don't think he'll hold you to that punishment, Kiddo. I think once he cools down he'll realize he wasn't fair and let up."

As he finished, they heard the blue Sedan pull into the driveway.

"Just be patient with him," Launchpad said, patting her shoulder, then standing up and heading for the door. In the mood Drake was in he might think they were comparing notes, which was kind of what they were doing, and they didn't want to make him any angrier.

Drake was quiet the rest of the night. He barely spoke during dinner and Gosalyn didn't give him the chance to kiss her goodbye before they went up to the tower. As Darkwing, he only spoke when he had to.

Launchpad was relieved that it was a slow night. Essentially, they were on guard duty. There were no super villains and the only crime they saw in progress, a purse snatching, was being handled by an off duty cop who had seen the whole thing. Darkwing grumbled a bit about missing the action, but Launchpad had the feeling the grumbling was more out of habit than anything else. DW's heart just didn't seem to be in it tonight.

"I don't think we're going to see any action tonight, LP," DW said after a few hours. "Let's go home."

"OK," Launchpad said, starting to feel concerned. Patrol was only half over. DW's anger seemed to have been replaced by depression. "In a way, maybe that's good," Launchpad thought. "Maybe now he'll come to his senses and make up with Morgana."

Launchpad hoped so. He was very sensitive to the moods of the people around him and his natural optimism was enough to cheer them up most of the time, but he'd never seen DW like this before. Drake's bad moods caused enough tension in the house, but when they caused fights with Gosalyn the tension doubled. Launchpad didn't care as much if DW was mean to him; he knew DW didn't really mean it and he was also used to that kind of treatment from Mr. McD. It wasn't as frequent or as intense with DW, with the exception of a time or two in the beginning. But he couldn't stand the hurt look in Gosalyn's eyes when she fought with her dad.

The next morning, Launchpad and Gosalyn met each other in the hallway.

"Morning, Gos."

"Hi," she said, surprised. "What are you doing up so early?"

"We had a quiet night, so we came home early."

Launchpad didn't need to ask why Gos was up early. What kid would sleep through Saturday morning cartoons?

"Do you think Dad'll be sane today?" she asked in a whisper, afraid to let Drake hear her.

"I think he'll be better than yesterday," Launchpad whispered back. "He seemed more sad than angry last night."

They found Drake sitting on the couch, slumped over, looking as sad as he had when Launchpad said good night to him the night before.

"Didn't you sleep?" Gosalyn asked, feeling worried now. She almost would have preferred Drake angry to the way he looked now.

"No," he said quietly. "Listen, guys, I'm sorry I was such a grouch yesterday."

"It's OK, DW," Launchpad said, sitting on the couch next to him. "We know yah didn't mean it." He knew that wasn't the real reason DW looked so upset, but he just couldn't think of anything else to say that might make him feel better.

Gosalyn sat on Drake's lap and put her arms around him, wanting to do anything she could to make him feel better. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back, knowing she was trying to help. A small part of her wanted to ask if she was still grounded, but she thought that would be insensitive. She'd only seen Dad in a state like this once or twice before. "He'd lost his confidence then," she thought hopefully. "Maybe all he needs now is a good crime to get him active and feeling better."

"You're not grounded anymore," he said, as if picking up some of her thoughts. "I know that was too harsh, but I do want you to get your Math grade up. Did you do your homework last night?"

"Uh-oh!" she thought, feeling her stomach drop. "Busted! I can't lie to him; he'll ask to see it."

"Well, I got most of it done, but not the Math. I just don't get it. I thought about asking Honker to come over and help me, but I didn't think you'd want me having a friend over while I was grounded."

"I wouldn't have," Drake admitted. "You can have him over later today."

Drake figured that would make up for grounding her unfairly yesterday, at least in his mind, and Honker would be able to help her with her Math.

"But would it make up for it?" a nasty voice asked in his head. It sounded like Negaduck's voice, which made him very uncomfortable. Drake wasn't thinking much of himself as a person right now. As a crime fighter, he was great, but as a boyfriend, father and best friend, he didn't feel like much.

How could he have been so mean to Morgana? It was bad enough that he'd used her past against her, but his parting shot was worse, in his opinion, than anything he'd ever said to anyone. Morgana was a sorceress; he knew that going into the relationship. The magic was part of who she was. He couldn't believe he'd been thoughtless enough to tell her he wanted a normal girl just so he could have the last word.

Then he'd compounded his thoughtlessness by taking out his anger on Launchpad and Gosalyn. Launchpad hadn't even said or done anything; he'd just looked at him and Drake had snapped at him like a mean spirited terrier. It made him feel worse that Launchpad and Gosalyn had forgiven him so easily; he didn't think he deserved to have anyone be nice to him today.

He suddenly wondered what was wrong with him. All his feelings were so out of proportion over the last couple of days. He was over reacting to everything. On some level he knew he was being too hard on himself, but that didn't change anything; he still felt like the worst person in Saint Canard.

Drake was distracted all day. He couldn't seem to concentrate on anything for more than a few seconds and Gos and Launchpad had to repeat themselves a few times to get him to hear them. When Honker came over and he and Gosalyn went upstairs, Launchpad sat on the couch next to Drake again.

"You've both had time to cool down, DW. Why don't yah call her and try to make up? And don't give me any of that stuff about how she's gonna have to make the first move!" A thread of surprise peaked through Drake's depression. Launchpad's tone had turned almost scolding. "You were both wrong and you know it."

"No, that's not it, LP. I want to call and apologize, but-"

He trailed off, slumping even further against the arm of the couch.

"But what?"

Drake looked over at Launchpad with an expression that would have been comical under other circumstances. He'd seen that look on love sick teenagers in very old sitcoms. But on Drake's face, the expression didn't look funny at all.

"Why should she accept my apology?" Drake asked hopelessly. "I said some horrible things. I was a creep. If I was Morgana, there's no way I'd ever take me back. I acted like everything she's done since she came over to our side meant nothing."

"So it wasn't really Morgana you were so angry with yesterday, was it? You were mad at yourself."

"Yeah. Well, not at first. When I got home I really was mad at her, but I did feel kind of guilty for the things I said. Then I started thinking after you went to bed and realized how cruel I was. Then I topped it off by treating you and Gos like-"

"You didn't do anything to me," Launchpad said, hoping this was the kind of pep talk DW needed, "and you and Gos are OK now. You and Morgana have had fights before."

"Yeah, but she was right; I've never thrown her past in her face before and I am closed minded and egotistical. I don't even know why I said the things I did; I just reacted. She was crying when I left," he finished, looking as if he might cry himself.

"Maybe there is something to that stuff about Friday the thirteenth," Launchpad said, trying to think of something that might make DW feel less guilty by explaining his behavior. DW was his best friend; he hated to see him so down on himself. This was worse than the times he'd lost his confidence, first when he'd gone temporarily blind, then at his High School reunion when his classmates found out the one they had always called "Drake the Dweeb" was Darkwing Duck.

If Drake had been in a better mood, he would have scoffed at the idea again, but he just said, "maybe," in a defeated tone that made Launchpad wish he'd just stayed away from the whole Friday the thirteenth subject altogether.

After a period of silence that was making Launchpad feel increasingly uncomfortable, he asked, "is there anything I can do for yah, DW?"

Drake felt a rush of affection and sympathy for him. Launchpad wanted so badly to help him, both as Drake and as Darkwing, but in this situation there was nothing he could do.

"Just kick me if I get crazy again."

"Dad," Gosalyn called from the top of the stairs, "we finished the homework and I think I get it now. Can we go to the park?"

"Yeah, if it's OK with Binky, but I want you home before dark."

Drake was so distracted that he burned dinner. He spent about a minute mumbling under his breath, berating himself.

"Calm down, DW; it's just dinner. You didn't burn the house down. I'll go pick up some Hamburger Hippo."

"OK," Drake said with a tired sigh. He hadn't slept the night before, and the night before that his sleep was restless after the fight with Morgana. He was exhausted.

Launchpad grabbed the keys to the Sedan and headed for the door. As he passed the couch, where Drake was sitting again in the same spot as before, Drake put a hand on his arm to stop him. They looked at each other for a beat.

"Thanks, Pal," Drake said quietly. "Sorry about my behavior the last couple of days. I-"

"You've already apologized," Launchpad said, putting the hand not holding the keys on Drake's shoulder. "Don't worry," he said gently. "You and Morg'll fix this."

Drake tried to smile, but couldn't quite manage it. As Launchpad closed the front door, Drake sighed again and turned on the TV. He didn't care what was on; he just wanted some noise so he wouldn't feel so alone with Gos and Launchpad gone. He also hoped it would distract him from the guilt he was feeling over the way he had treated Morgana. The first real relationship he'd had in years was over and he had no one to blame but himself.


	3. Regret and Reconciliation

Morgana had spent the last couple of days at home with Eek, Squeak and Archie. When Drake had left she'd been hurt and angry, then she'd just become sad. She couldn't believe the cruel things he'd said to her. Why would he have gotten involved with her in the first place if he'd wanted a normal girl all along? He knew from the beginning that she was different. And what did she have to do to convince him that she was good now? What more did he want from her?

Saturday afternoon, she decided she needed a distraction. She left her house and took a walk. Later, she found herself in front of that hamburger place Drake, Launchpad and Gosalyn liked so much. She decided to go in and have a drink, or two, or twelve.

Launchpad walked into the Hamburger Hippo and waited in line. He looked around, wondering if anyone he knew was here. It wasn't a long line, but it wasn't exactly a short one either.

"Let me have another one, please," a familiar voice called.

Launchpad looked over and saw Morgana sitting on one of the bar stools.

"Don't you think you've had enough, Lady?" the guy behind the counter asked.

"I'm the customer," she said angrily. "I'll be the one to decide when I've had enough."

"All right, Lady, if you say so. One more Koo-Koo Cola, coming right up. I'm telling you, though, your blood sugar's gonna go sky high."

Morgana thought of saying something like, "you let me worry about that," but knew she was only taking out her pain over losing Dark on this poor man, who had nothing to do with the way she was feeling.

"Hey, Morgana!"

She looked over and saw Launchpad heading towards her.

"Hi," she said, feeling uncomfortable. He was friendly enough to her, but she'd always thought that was because she was Drake's girlfriend, or because he was afraid of her, or maybe a combination of both. He was always so nervous around her. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm here because we had a little accident with dinner. What are you doing here?"

She indicated the seat next to her and he sat down. "He doesn't look nervous now," a rational voice said in her head. It sounded like Dark, which surprised her. "Drake's not here either. Maybe he does like you."

"I got thirsty," She said, then belched loudly. She covered her mouth with embarrassment, but Launchpad grinned. She liked his smile. She couldn't help smiling back. Then she thought of Dark and her smile disappeared and she looked away.

"How's Dark?" she asked uncertainly. Dark was Launchpad's best friend and she was surprised he was still talking to her after the other night. She'd been sure he and Gos would be furious with her for barbecuing Dark.

"He's about as happy as you look," he said gently.

She looked up at him. He was smiling sympathetically and she could see in his eyes that he understood how she was feeling.

"This was the worst fight we've ever had," she said softly. "I barbecued him and he said he wanted a normal girlfriend."

"He didn't mean that anymore than you meant to barbecue him."

"He still thinks I'm evil," she said, starting to cry.

"No, he doesn't," Launchpad said, putting his arm around her. "You know DW; his mouth goes faster than his brain sometimes. He's hurting as bad as you are. He can't even think straight. He burned the dinner because he just can't concentrate. We even came home from patrol early last night because he felt so bad."

She started to feel hopeful. She knew Launchpad wouldn't lie.

"But he was so angry."

"So were you. Come home with me. Talk to him. I'm sure you guys can work this out. You're not gonna lose DW over one little argument, are yah?"

The line had thinned out and there was only one person at the counter.

"Think about it for a few minutes. I'll be right back."

He went up to the counter to place his order, leaving Morgana to wipe her eyes and finish her last Koo-Koo Cola.

Would he want her back? She had barbecued him; she'd regretted it almost before it was done, but she was so angry she couldn't stop herself. But maybe Launchpad was right. Maybe Dark had just reacted out of anger, too. Maybe he really hadn't meant any of the things he said.

A voice in the back of her mind nagged at her, telling her the Friday the thirteenth curse had doomed their relationship. But did it have to be doomed? Didn't she and Dark have any control over their own destinies? Why did one literally accursed day have to govern the rest of their lives?

Launchpad came back with his own Koo-Koo Cola and sat beside her again.

"It'll be a few minutes," he said. "Have you thought about it?"

"I want to work things out with Dark, but I'm so confused."

"What's to be confused about? If yah want him back-"

"I do, but I'm being forced to confront the possibility that something I've been taught to believe all my life may not be true. I don't want this to be true, but what if it is? What if I do try to work things out with Dark and it's destined to fail, anyway?"

"Yah mean because of Friday the thirteenth."

She nodded.

"Look, Morg, I don't know if there is anything to that bad luck stuff, but I do know you two are happy together and you're both miserable now that you're apart."

"But he ridicules my beliefs. How can I have a long lasting relationship with someone who thinks my beliefs are superstitious and stupid?"

"Think about it, Morg," Launchpad said, trying not to show his frustration. DW and Morgana were both so stubborn! "He was mean to you and you still want him back. You were mean to him, too, and he still wants you back. If your relationship was doomed, why would you be here guzzling down Koo-Koo Colas? Why would he be home on the couch too depressed to even fight crime? You know how much he loves catching the bad guys. Why would you be so unhappy if it was right for you to break up? If this was fate, wouldn't you both be feeling glad to be rid of each other?"

"I wasn't as mean to him as he was to me," she said petulantly. "I only singed his feathers; he-"

"That's what's gonna wreck your relationship if anything does," Launchpad said firmly. "Morgana, you fight dirty when yah do things like that. DW has no magic and he can't fight it. It's-"

He broke off. He knew if he went where he wanted to go with this it was probably going to make her angry and she might even barbecue him, or turn him into something unpleasant.

"It's what?" Morgana asked.

"It's almost like you're a bully," he said reluctantly. When she didn't say anything, he continued. "You can control him with your magic. You can get him, or any other normal, to do what you want because you can make them afraid you'll hurt them if they don't. In a relationship, it would be like you were the one who handled the money and you were using it to control your husband."

"Is that why you don't like me?"

"It's not you I don't like."

"It's the magic, then."

She felt betrayed somehow. He didn't seem like the type that would hold her magic against her. But she didn't think Dark would use her past, or the fact that she was different, against her either. But she felt much better when Launchpad explained.

"No, it's not the magic either. It's what you can do with it. I mean, I know you're not evil anymore and I know you'd never hurt DW on purpose, but what if you go too far one day? What if you get so angry that you do a lot worse than singe his feathers without meaning to?"

She stared at him. It had never occurred to her that she had so much control over Dark, or that she could abuse her power that way. Dark was normal. Of course there was nothing he could do against her magic, and he shouldn't have to either. In her own way, she had been as mean to him as he'd been to her.

"Do you really think he still wants me?"

Launchpad fought down another surge of frustration. What was it about couples that made them act like eighth graders when they fought, no matter how old they really were?

"Come home with me and talk to him," he said again. "You two are never gonna get anywhere if yah don't talk to each other. If you're both too guilty or too stubborn to try, then your relationship really is destined to fail."

Morgana knew he was right. Even if the relationship ended up not working out for some other reason, she couldn't just leave things the way they were now. She waited with Launchpad until his order was up, then walked out of the Hamburger Hippo with him, suddenly feeling better than she had since Dark had walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Gosalyn walked into the driveway just before Launchpad parked the Sedan. She stopped at the door when she saw who was in the car with him.

"Hi!" she said happily.

"Hi, Gos," Morgana said cautiously.

"Did you make up with Dad?"

"I'm going to try. Until a few minutes ago I was convinced that it was over, but then I got some advice from a good friend."

She smiled at Launchpad and Gosalyn opened the door.

Drake looked up when he heard Gosalyn's voice outside. He couldn't hear what she was saying, but suspected that she'd gotten home at the same time as Launchpad.

His eyes went wide when Morgana followed Launchpad in. They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Hi, Morg," Drake said, trying to sound casual.

"Hi, Dark."

She sounded shy and scared.

"Gos, why don't we go up to the tower and eat so these two can have some privacy?" Launchpad asked, handing Drake's food to him. Then he handed some to Morgana. He had ordered for her, too, knowing she would decide to come home with him and talk to Drake. She accepted, surprised.

"Thanks. How much do I-"

"You don't," he said firmly, smiling at her. "Coming, Gos?"

Gosalyn followed him to the spinning chairs. He activated the statue and they were gone.

Morgana sat on the couch next to Drake, looking nervous and uncertain. Drake watched her for a few seconds, then tentatively put his arm around her. He waited to see if she would push him off, then spoke when he was sure she wasn't going to.

"I'm sorry, Morgana. I don't know what made me say all those things."

"I'm sorry, too, Dark. I never should have used the magic against you. It never occurred to me that I was not only trying to control you, but abusing my power. I was just so angry that you would bring up my past. But more than that, you making fun of my beliefs is the equivalent of my using magic on you."

"You're right. I promise not to disregard your beliefs if you promise not to use the magic against me."

"I promise."

They kissed, then Drake went to pull out some TV trays for them.

"You said it hadn't occurred to you before that you were abusing your power," he said later, as he cleaned up their Hamburger Hippo containers. "What made you realize it?"

"I had a long talk with Launchpad at the Hamburger Hippo."

"You were at the Hippo?" he asked, surprised.

"I needed a distraction, took a walk and ended up there. I-" Her expression changed. She looked alarmed. "Uh-oh!"

"What's the matter.

"I'll be right back."

"Are you OK?" he asked, concerned, as she ran up the stairs.

"I'm fine," she called back over her shoulder. "I just had six Koo-Koo Colas."

Drake laughed. Not only was she going to be bouncing off the walls soon, but she was going to be spending a lot of time in the bathroom. No matter how long the relationship lasted, life with Morgana would never be dull. He was hoping it would last a very long time.


	4. Happiness and Halloween

When the air had been cleared between Drake and Morgana, their relationships with Launchpad and Gosalyn were also made stronger and much happier. Drake sat down with Gosalyn and helped her with her Math homework, making sure she knew where the problems were and helping her to improve her grade. She had been right; Math was her only weak subject. He made sure to compliment her on her strong points in her school work, not just tell her what her weaknesses were.

He improved her home life, too. Instead of punishing her for something immediately, they talked about why she did what she did and Drake made sure the punishment fit the crime. He didn't want to be one of those parents who punished first and asked questions later.

He tried consciously to express himself better with everyone. He picked his words more carefully and tried not to be so quick to judge. Everyone was entitled to their beliefs and he had no right to tell them they were wrong.

He showed his appreciation more for everyone around him. He had thanked Launchpad after Morgana had left that night for talking to her and convincing her to come back to talk to him, as well as for being so patient with him when he'd acted like a crazy person and trying to encourage him when he'd lost all hope of making up with her. He didn't want to take Launchpad or Gosalyn for granted and he knew he did that sometimes. He wanted everyone he loved to know how much he really appreciated them.

Morgana's and Launchpad's relationship grew, too. She understood now that it was his protectiveness of Dark that had made him afraid of her. Once his fear for DW was gone, he was able to talk to her like a true friend, as they had at the Hamburger Hippo that Saturday, and they became real friends. He knew now that she had honestly not been aware of the extent of the influence of her power and the damage it could cause if she abused it. Part of him wondered why her father hadn't warned her, but he never asked that question. He didn't want to cause trouble between Morgana and Moloculo, and he knew Moloculo barely tolerated his daughter's relationship with normals, so he didn't dare ask him. Just because Morgana was being more careful about the use of her powers didn't mean her father would be.

Morgana also knew Drake wasn't all that enthusiastic about Gosalyn's interest in magic. Gosalyn was normal and Morgana was more conscious now that not everyone shared her beliefs. She had learned to respect that Drake didn't share all of her beliefs. They both knew there were times when they would have to agree to disagree, but she was not going to let Gosalyn's interest in her world be one of those times. She showed Gosalyn what she could do, but would not teach her anything unless Drake gave his permission. Drake agreed to let her learn some, but would monitor what she learned. If it was not OK with Drake, Morgana wouldn't teach her. There were some things she would never be able to learn, even if Drake did give his permission, because she was normal.

The pudding spell was definitely out of the question; Gosalyn could learn it, but Drake flatly refused. He'd had enough experience with that one, and Morgana hadn't even been trying to turn him into one the first time; she had been aiming for Quackerjack and Megavolt. He had pictures in his head of him saying or doing something Gosalyn didn't think was fair and being zapped into a little tiny pudding cup. It was gross enough that Quackerjack had literally had a taste of him; he wasn't going to give Gosalyn the opportunity.

Drake decided he would have to think about the barbecuing spell. He thought maybe it would come in handy when she got older and had to fend off pushy boys. Morgana agreed to wait until he made up his mind.

Gosalyn took these restrictions with a grace she hadn't shown before when Drake said "no" to something. She was just glad to have her dad happy again.

Drake accepted willingly and without hesitation when Morgana invited him to the Halloween carnival. Launchpad and Gosalyn were invited, too. Gosalyn couldn't wait. Launchpad was also excited. He loved seeing Drake and Gosalyn so happy, and he wasn't nervous about the magic anymore, so he was looking forward to seeing Morgana's type of carnival. Also, because of Launchpad's sensitivity to other people's moods, Drake's good mood was contagious.

Moloculo was less than thrilled when Morgana told him Drake, Gosalyn and Launchpad were coming to the carnival.

"What?" he asked, and there was something in his tone that made Morgana feel suspicious. "I didn't think you two were together anymore."

"Why would you think that?" she asked, faking casualness. She hadn't told her father she and Dark had had a fight.

"Well, I mean, Friday the thirteenth, of course," he said, trying to sound as if he thought Morgana was being silly. "I know you and Drake had a date on the twelfth. I don't imagine the date would have been over by midnight if you were going to a carnival. It was a normal carnival, right? So don't they last longer than-"

"The carnival ended at eleven. We left when it was over and went back to my house and talked for a while. He was there at midnight."

Morgana's suspicions were growing and her tone was matching them. She was beginning to think her father had somehow had something to do with the fight she had had with Drake.

"Father, why were you so sure a minute ago that I wasn't with Dark anymore? Do you know something you're not supposed to? If so, how did you come across that piece of information?"

Moloculo sighed. He never could keep anything from Morgana.

"Well, I-"

"Yes?" she prompted when he trailed off.

"Morgana," he began defensively, "you should be with a man who-"

"Forget who you think I should be with, Father," she said sharply, "and tell me what you did!"

"Well, I-"

He trailed off. He knew Morgana was going to be furious, but he also knew he wasn't going to get out of this one. She was very persistent.

"Yes?" she asked with exaggerated patience.

"I cursed your clock. I made it so that if you and Drake were together at midnight on Friday the thirteenth the clock would release my curmudgeon concoction and bring out Drake's perpetually cranky nature and you two would have a fight."

The curmudgeon concoction was odorless and didn't need to be drunk, so no one would know if it was released into the air, unless they were purposely looking for it. Morgana had no reason to look for it and Drake wouldn't know it even existed.

Depending on the strength of the potion, and the nature of the person being affected, it might not even take more than a drop or two to be affective. It would take a lot to work on someone like Launchpad or Stegmutt, but on Drake or Morgana it wouldn't take much. Morgana would never say so to Drake's face, but she thought it would take less to work on him than on her.

"You did what?" Morgana demanded furiously.

"I made sure it would attune itself to him so you wouldn't be anymore affected than Drake's attitude would affect you. You didn't both need to be cursed. I had the clock release twelve drops, one for each time it rang."

She stared at him for a full ten seconds, too angry to speak.

"Morgana, you need a sorcerer, not a-"

"Don't you dare try to justify this, Father! I am the only one who gets to decide who I have a relationship with! I'm not a child anymore and I can pick my own boyfriends, and I choose him!"

She stormed out of her father's house and over to Drake's.

Drake listened with fascination as Morgana furiously told him what her father had done to them. When she'd appeared on his doorstep, he'd been afraid it was him she was angry with and he had no idea why. He didn't have time to wonder. She had started almost immediately after he'd invited her in with "you won't believe what my father did! Our last fight was all his fault!"

Drake had very mixed emotions when Morgana finished. He was angry with Moloculo, but he was also a little bit jealous. There was no way he could pick Gosalyn's boyfriends for her when she got old enough to be interested in boys, and Moloculo had tried it with magic, which Drake would never be able to do.

"Dark, say something."

"What your father did was very-" he paused, looking for the right word. "creative."

"Creative?" she asked, not knowing whether to be amused at his choice of words or angry that he wasn't angrier.

"Yeah. He thinks he's doing what's best for you and he has a unique way to do it. The fact that it didn't work just proves that magic can't solve every problem. In a way, that kind of makes me feel relieved. I-" he broke off, afraid what he was about to say would upset her.

"Go on," she said, curious about what he was thinking.

"Well, it's kind of silly, but-"

"Yes?" Her patience this time was not exaggerated. She knew Drake was being careful so he wouldn't say the wrong thing.

"It's kind of a macho pig thing to say, but I was kind of afraid your being able to solve problems magically might make me feel inadequate."

To Drake's relief, Morgana smiled.

"Well, I could have told you myself that magic wasn't the solution to every problem."

"What your father did sort of proves my other point, too," he said carefully.

"What other point?"

"The point about how Friday the thirteenth is no different from any other day."

"But it was bad luck that we had a fight."

"We had a fight because your dad cursed your clock. If we hadn't been at your house, we might not have fought; it was just a coincidence. Your father's curse, combined with my big beak and both our tempers, was what caused the fight, not the date. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. You believed we would have a fight because Friday the thirteenth means bad luck to you, and your father fixed it so we would have a fight, so we did. We both over reacted because circumstances conspired to make us over react, but they were manmade circumstances, not magic ones, unless you count your father's potion. But even that was manmade, so I guess on his part it was a combination of both."

She looked troubled. Drake wondered if she was going to get angry again.

"I was taught that strong evil magic is present on Friday the thirteenth."

"Maybe it is; you would know more about that than I would. I mean because you know more about magic, not that-"

"I know what you meant," she said, smiling. "Go on."

"Maybe strong evil magic is present then, but that doesn't account for every bad thing that happens on Friday the thirteenth. Your dad cursed the clock. Evil had nothing to do with what happened to us. If it had, I don't think we'd have gotten back together. It was good luck that you and Launchpad happened to run into each other at the Hamburger Hippo."

"Definitely."

"But I still don't understand why I over reacted the way I did. I mean, I know about your dad's curmudgeon concoction, but why did I act the way I did afterwards? Gos and Launchpad didn't deserve to be treated so harshly. Your dad's potion would have had nothing to do with that, would it?"

"It might have," she said thoughtfully. "Father can brew a strong curmudgeon concoction; it probably didn't ware off for hours."

"And what about my out of control guilt. I was feeling like I'd committed murder."

"That can sometimes be a side effect of the potion. Your feelings can be very intense for a while, especially the feelings about your actions while you were under the influence of the potion. But I do have to thank Father for one thing; we're both so much more careful now. I think he taught us a lesson, even if it wasn't the lesson he wanted me to learn."

"He really doesn't want you associating with normals, does he?" Drake was feeling a bit worried that Moloculo's influence would eventually be too strong for her to resist, until she spoke.

"Well, he's just going to have to get used to it," she said fiercely, then kissed him.

Drake and Morgana didn't dare tell Gosalyn that the Halloween carnival lasted all day, from midnight on Halloween to midnight on November first. They knew Gos would want to be there for the entire twenty-four hours, and Drake was not about to let her skip school for Halloween. Morgana hadn't needed to worry about that when she was a child because Halloween meant no school for magical creatures. She respected that Drake and Gosalyn were normals and Halloween wasn't as big a deal for them, so it didn't offend her that Drake didn't think the holiday was important enough to let Gosalyn skip school.

Morgana told Gosalyn to go behind a bush after school and she would transport her to the carnival, where she, Drake and Launchpad would already be.

"Keen gear!" Gosalyn cried. She was sure this would be the greatest Halloween she'd ever had.

Drake, Launchpad and Morgana arrived at the carnival around 2:30. Morgana would leave to get Gosalyn in about half an hour, but she wanted to have a talk with Moloculo first and she wanted Drake and Launchpad to be there. She was going to try to get it through Moloculo's thick scull that she was going to have normals for friends, and one for a boyfriend, whether she had his approval or not.

"There he is," she said, after searching the crowd for about five minutes. "Let's go."

Drake and Launchpad looked nervously at each other. Morgana had inherited her temper from her father and he had no reason to keep it under control.

"Hello, Daughter," Moloculo said casually. His expression was anything but casual. He was glaring at Drake and Launchpad, especially Drake, as if he wanted to melt them where they stood.

"Wipe that expression off your face right now, Father," Morgana said in a "no nonsense" tone. "The four of us are going to have a talk."

Drake wanted to tell her he and Launchpad would prefer to be spectators in this one, and he could tell by the look on Launchpad's face that he was thinking the same thing, but they both thought better of interrupting.

"Launchpad is my friend; so is Gosalyn. Drake is my boyfriend. I don't care if you have a problem with it; you're just going to have to get over it. As I told you before, I'm all grown up now and I pick my own friends, and my own boyfriends. These are the ones I choose. I want your promise that you will never again interfere with us and our relationships in any way."

"Morgana-"

"You don't know the trouble you caused, Father. Yes, it all worked out, but that was thanks to good advice from an objective party."

"I know all about that; Archie told me."

"He did?" Morgana asked, surprised.

"I was talking more to myself than him, asking how you two had managed to get back together." He turned to Launchpad. "He told me about the talk you had with my daughter at that Happy Hamburger place."

"That's Hamburger Hippo," Morgana said, trying not to show her amusement.

"Whatever. Can we talk privately?" he asked Launchpad.

"Father-" Morgana began with a warning tone.

"I'm not going to hurt him, Morgana. I just want to talk with him."

"It's OK with me," Launchpad said. He was reassured by the fact that Moloculo had stopped glaring at him and Drake.

Morgana didn't look convinced.

"Give me your word as a sorcerer, and as my father, that you will not hurt him in any way, shape or form."

"I give you my word as a sorcerer, and as your father. I'm not a monster, Morgana."

"You couldn't tell that by your actions lately," she said sharply.

"Easy, Morg," Drake said softly. "You don't want to say something you'll regret."

"Well, all right; I'll let it go for now. I have to go pick up Gosalyn anyway. Want to come, Dark?"

Drake looked at Launchpad, who shrugged.

"OK."

They left and Moloculo turned back to Launchpad.

"Why did you get them back together? I'm not angry, just curious. I didn't think you liked my daughter."

Launchpad told him the same things he told Morgana. Moloculo looked thoughtful.

"Mr. McCawber, Drake would never hurt Morgana, not on purpose. He's a good guy. Not having magic doesn't change that."

"But he's different; he's not like us."

"Morgana's not like us either, but that doesn't mean she's not a good person."

"I don't have any sons. I want someone to carry on the McCawber line. If Morgana has a son, he'll do that, but not if she marries a normal. He may not have the magic."

"What if she doesn't have a boy?"

Moloculo looked startled. It had apparently never crossed his mind that Morgana might have all girls, or might not have any children at all.

"I know you don't want your daughter to be unhappy; she wasn't happy when she wasn't with Drake. When I found her she was on her sixth Koo-Koo Cola. She cried when we talked about the fight you caused her and Drake to have. Drake wasn't happy either, and it had a lot more to do with the fact that he wasn't with Morgana than with the side effects of your potion."

Moloculo began to look remorseful for the first time.

"She cried?"

"Yeah."

"She loves him, doesn't she?" Moloculo looked as if he'd swallowed a lemon.

"I think so."

"Does he love her?"

"Yeah, I think he does."

"I'm not going to win this one, am I?"

"No, not if you want your daughter to be happy."

"All right; I promise you, as a sorcerer and as Morgana's father, not to interfere with their relationship anymore."

"That's all I ask, Father," Morgana said from behind them. She had gotten back with Drake and Gosalyn just in time to hear Moloculo ask Launchpad if he wasn't going to win this time. She walked up to him and kissed his cheek. "Now let's go introduce my friends to our type of Halloween."

Drake was glad he had not refused Morgana's invitation. He loved watching Gosalyn's reaction to all the creatures Morgana introduced them to, and he liked a lot of them himself. He was sorry he'd been so judgmental, even before their fight. These were all nice people.

Launchpad and Gosalyn went through the fun house together while Drake and Morgana went through the tunnel of love, which was haunted. Morgana knew every ghost and ghoul in there and introduced Drake to all of them. Drake didn't have the heart to tell her that it kind of took the mystery out of the place for him to know the ghosts and to know they weren't really scary. They were friendly and Drake thought he could get to like them.

There was no normal food, but Morgana gave them the foods that would be no harm to them, and the ones she knew would not gross them out. Even Drake enjoyed the different foods, and for once, he didn't ask what was in them.

On the way to the haunted house, Drake saw a sign that said "blood bank" and asked Morgana about it. "Are there many donors?"

"Well," she began hesitantly, "this isn't a normal blood bank. It's for the vampires. They've been collecting all day and giving to the vampires who can't get out, for whatever reason."

"But I thought vampires only came out at night," Gosalyn said."

"Halloween is the one exception," Moloculo explained. "We protect them with a spell, but we can't maintain it all year because it's very draining."

Gosalyn giggled.

"What did I say?" Moloculo asked, confused.

"You said draining," Morgana said, grinning. "You know; vampires drain your blood."

"Oh." He didn't look as if he got it. "Anyway, the sorcerer or sorceress who performs the spell is exhausted for days after Halloween and has to sacrifice his or her entire day to maintain the spell. It's not a Halloween task any sorcerer likes, but we all take turns. Next year is mine; the year after that will be Morgana's.

"Why wouldn't a vampire be able to get out to get its own blood?" Launchpad asked.

"They may be old, sick or injured," Morgana said. "Some of them can't get back to their coffins in time and have sunlight exposure. I would definitely not want to be a vampire."

They were all having so much fun that Drake let Gosalyn stay until the carnival was over. She would be tired in school the next morning, but it was only one day of the year. They dropped Morgana off at McCawber manor at 12:30 and Launchpad waited in the car with Gosalyn, who had fallen asleep almost as soon as she'd gotten in, and Drake walked Morg to the door. After they kissed, Drake walked back to the car, feeling confident that their relationship could be made stronger by their differences instead of being destroyed by them. If they stuck to their promises, and if Moloculo kept his promise, he could see them married someday. Maybe Moloculo would even come to like. Him. Drake thought about that for a second, then decided not to push it. It didn't really matter, he decided, as long as he and Morgana communicated like they had been for the last couple of weeks.

Drake carried Gosalyn to bed when they got home, kissed her forehead and headed for his room. As he fell asleep, Drake had a mental picture of a child born from him and Morgana. His deductive skills and her magic would make their son or daughter a force to be reckoned with.

Launchpad was the last to go to bed that night. He'd gotten hungry and made himself a quick sandwich. Drake's door was half open, and as Launchpad passed it on the way to his room, he smiled when he got a view of Drake's face. He was asleep on his back with an ear to ear grin. Launchpad's last thought before he fell asleep himself was that Drake would probably never be quite the same after Moloculo's curse. This Friday the thirteenth, and then seeing Morgana's Halloween, seemed to have changed him for the better.


End file.
